World number one Jon Rahm faced an uphill battle to make the halfway cut on day two of the 105th US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
Seeking back-to-back major titles following his Masters triumph at Augusta National last month, Rahm birdied his opening hole in the first round before slumping to a six-over-par 76.
US Open champion and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick failed to record a single birdie as he recorded the same score to trail clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau by 10 shots.
DeChambeau’s 66 gave him a one-shot lead over world number two Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson and Corey Conners, although Eric Cole had reached five under after 14 holes when play was suspended for the day due to darkness.
The start of play had been delayed by an hour and 50 minutes on Thursday morning due to frost.
Rory McIlroy fought back from three over par after nine holes to post a 71 despite struggling with an unspecified illness.
Quote of the day
Long day for @Keegan_Bradley 😅 pic.twitter.com/FtPdY7BR2x
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 18, 2023
Keegan Bradley reflects on a rollercoaster opening round of 68.
Shot of the day
And THAT is how you start your #PGAChamp.
Scott Stallings ➡️ Eagle pic.twitter.com/ovCuku8X7k
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023
Scott Stallings began his round from the 10th and holed his second shot of the day from 128 yards for an eagle.
Round of the day
Scottie Scheffler's first bogey-free round in a major 👀
He is currently T1 @PGAChampionship. pic.twitter.com/HQSvDYsZ0t
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 18, 2023
Although DeChambeau shot the lowest score, arguably the best round of the day was a bogey-free effort from Scottie Scheffler.
Statistic of the day
Jon Rahm missed 9 fairways today. He missed 8 all week at Augusta National last month.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 18, 2023
World number one and Masters champion Jon Rahm struggled to an opening 76.
Hardest hole (*round incomplete)
The 481-yard ninth hole yielded just seven birdies and played to an average of 4.448.
Easiest hole (*round incomplete)
Despite measuring 617 yards, the par-five fourth hole played to an average of 4.873, with Rory McIlroy reaching the green with a long iron to set up one of the 32 birdies made.
Weather forecast
Much warmer temperatures can be expected on Friday ahead of an approaching low-pressure system and associated cold front that will move through the region on Saturday. This will bring a good chance for rain Friday night through the day on Saturday. Drier conditions return by Saturday evening with partly cloudy skies and mild temperatures expected for Sunday.
